Neddylation pathway alleviates chronic pancreatitis by reducing HIF1α-CCL5-dependent macrophage infiltration

Cell Death Dis. 2021 Mar 15;12(3):273. doi: 10.1038/s41419-021-03549-3.

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by a wide range of irreversible fibro-inflammatory diseases with largely ambiguous pathogenesis. Although neddylation pathway has been implicated in regulating immune responses, whether the dysregulation of neddylation is involved in the progression of CP and how neddylation regulates the inflammatory microenvironment of CP have not yet been reported. Here, we demonstrate that global inactivation of neddylation pathway by MLN4924 significantly exacerbates chronic pancreatitis. The increased M2 macrophage infiltration, mediated by the upregulated chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5), is responsible for the enhanced pancreatitis-promoting activity of MLN4924. Both CCL5 blockade and macrophage depletion contribute to alleviating pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation in MLN4924-treated CP mice. Mechanistic investigation identifies that inactivation of Cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) stabilizes cellular levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), which increases CCL5 expression by promoting CCL5 transactivation. Clinically, UBE2M expression remarkably decreases in human CP tissues compared with normal specimens and the levels of CCL5 and M2 marker CD163 are negatively correlated with UBE2M intensity, suggesting that neddylation is involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis. Hence, our studies reveal a neddylation-associated immunopathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis and provide new ideas for the disease treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Chemokine CCL5 / genetics
  • Chemokine CCL5 / metabolism*
  • Chemotaxis* / drug effects
  • Cyclopentanes / toxicity
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / toxicity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / genetics
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / drug effects
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Pancreas / drug effects
  • Pancreas / metabolism*
  • Pancreas / pathology
  • Pancreatitis, Chronic / chemically induced
  • Pancreatitis, Chronic / genetics
  • Pancreatitis, Chronic / metabolism*
  • Pancreatitis, Chronic / pathology
  • Phenotype
  • Pyrimidines / toxicity
  • Signal Transduction
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitination

Substances

  • Ccl5 protein, mouse
  • Chemokine CCL5
  • Cyclopentanes
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Hif1a protein, mouse
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • Pyrimidines
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes
  • pevonedistat